The Tenant of Wildfell Hall

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letter I had the unexpected pleasure of seeing him blush; but he immediately turned his back to me, and finished the perusal at the window. At the second, I saw him, once or twice, raise his hand, and hurriedly pass it across his face. Could it be to dash away a tear? When he had done, there was an interval spent in clearing his throat and staring out of the window, and then, after whistling a few bars of a favourite air, he turned round, gave me back the letters, and silently shook me by the hand. “I’ve been a cursed rascal, God knows,” said he, as he gave it a hearty squeeze, “but you see if I don’t make amends for it—d—n me if I don’t!” “Don’t curse yourself, Mr. Hattersley; if God had heard half your invocations of that kind, you would have been in hell long before now—and you _cannot_ make amends for the past by doing your duty for the future, inasmuch as your duty is only what you _owe_ to your Maker, and you cannot…